T-Mobile tapped as Euro iPhone carrier?
updated 04:45 pm EDT, Fri May 11, 2007
iPhone May See T-Mobile
Germany-based T-Mobile may become the iPhone's official carrier for Europe, according to those close to the negotiations. Although it had previously been suggested that Vodafone would win -- an implication the carrier publically denied -- it's now believed that its rival at T-Mobile is favored as the sole outlet for iPhone sales in the continent. Other Europe-wide providers such as O2 and Orange were said to have been in the running but unsuccessful in reaching the later stages of contract discssions. Terms of a possible deal weren't discussed but may be different than the multi-year exclusivity agreement Apple has signed with AT&T in the US.
Concerns have been raised about the wisdom of the deal, however. Gartner research head Martin Gutberlet has indicated that while Vodafone's customized Live! Portal would be at odds with Apple's handset, which will likely insist on iTunes as its sole PC interface, the choice of T-Mobile would artificially limit the iPhone's potential market.
"It would be in Apple's best interests to get more than one operator to distribute the phone because the European market is more fragmented than the US," Gutberlet said. T-Mobile does not operate in as many countries as Vodafone, and would be locked out of key European countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
T-Mobile would likely be Apple's top pick due to its recent emphasis on music, the Gartner analyst pointed out.
Must be a joke
05/12, 02:07am reply
Where's T-Mobile besides Germany ? Certainly not in France, to begin with and it doesn't have the reach of Orange or Vodaphone, FAR from it.
Or Apple decided to go with national carriers instead of one European one…
Stephane
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2001
Sounds like stupidity...
05/12, 03:29pm reply
... to me. Hopefully, Apple know more about the European market than these comments indicate. There is not one single carrier which is present in all European countries. None of those mentioned are present in Norway as far as I know, for instance, and although a small population, Norwegians are rich. Perhaps these articles are written by Americans who don't know Europe well? One can only hope so.
Will53
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
T-Mobile Europe
05/13, 03:21am reply
Actually T-Mobile has a pretty big status in Europe... http://www.t-mobile.net/CDA/t-mobile_worldwide,5,0,,en.html
From what I've been told and read is that Deutsche Telekom (who owns tmobile) is actually the biggest in Europe... is this incorrect?
migs647
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2005
Good for the Netherlands
05/13, 06:33am reply
If this news turns out to be true, I'm lucky. T-Mobile is also active in Holland.
Double_UK
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2000
They need...
05/13, 09:37am reply
They need to go with vodafone. Curiously i believe att has a stake or partnership with vodafone. I could be mistaken. All i know, is that in europe the bigger the carrier the more iPhones they will sell. Vodafone also has service in key markets including australia, japan, france, ireland, singapore etc. I hope apple makes the right choice here!
Fast iBook
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2003
No..
05/13, 09:38am reply
No, the partnership is or was with verizon.
Fast iBook
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2003
Freemove alliance
05/14, 01:32pm reply
T-Mobile is in an alliance of several European mobile telecommunications operators.
Read more at this URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeMove http://www.freemovealliance.com/index.php?lang=en
tb1970
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2007